


Mission: Peraltiago

by LexiShent99



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Episode: s02e09 The Road Trip, F/M, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:21:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23911486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LexiShent99/pseuds/LexiShent99
Summary: What if Amy had split up with Teddy before going on the Road Trip? What if Sophia was never in the picture? What if the squad help to bring Jake and Amy together without them knowing?Basically a slight AU of 'The Road Trip' in which Jake and Amy go on the trip alone and don't realise the rest of the squad are pushing them together.
Relationships: Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago
Comments: 36
Kudos: 120





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I can't remember if this, or something similar, has been done before, but here's my take on an alternative 'Road Trip'. Hope you enjoy!

“Peralta. Santiago. My office now,” called Holt from his office door into the bullpen. After sharing a confused look and a small shrug of the shoulders, they both head over to Holt’s office. They both knew it must be something important; why else would the captain put his two best detectives on the case? Secretly, Jake was sort of pleased that he would be working with Amy. Not for any reason in particular. He just liked spending time with her. Oh, and also the fact he was falling deeper and deeper in love with her by the hour. But she’d just split up with Teddy and from what he’d heard, it wasn’t the smoothest of break-ups. It’d be selfish for him to let her know his feelings were still there. Anyway, she’d turned him down once before. Who’s to say she wouldn’t do it again?

The two detectives sat down next to each other, with the captain on the other side of his desk. He started, “I called you in here to inform you that a male you were tracking, Jesse Hermick, has been picked up in Neustadter, New York. He was apparently trying to pay for a hoagie with a gun. If I remember correctly, he is the gentleman that skipped bail after he was arrested for 9 counts of armed robbery.” Amy quickly nods her head in response. “The police upstate want you to pick him up at 6:30 tomorrow morning. I suggest you spend the night up there and then travel back tomorrow once you’ve picked Hermick up. Is that clear?"

“Yes, sir,” Amy responds instantly. Jake, however, was a bit sceptical. “Out of all due respect sir, how are we meant to find accommodation for tonight. It’s already four. There can’t be many rooms left now. Can’t we just pick him up around midday?” He really didn’t want to be awake early the next morning and certainly not after an uncomfortable night in a crappy motel room in a town he’d never heard of.  
“I will have Gina figure something out for the two of you and she will send you the details. Now, go home quickly to grab a few things and get on the road. This would be a good case to close, considering you’ve been after this guy for months. Now head out. I’ll see you both when you get back."

They leave Holt’s office and grab their belongings from their desks and head towards the elevator. They had to move fast as to beat most of the traffic. Trying to drive through New York when everyone was finishing work was a nightmare, especially when they couldn’t use their sirens to usher people out of their way.

Few words were spoken between the two detectives. They both hoped the tension would ease during their journey upstate. If not, it was going to be a long drive. Jake finally broke the silence. “I’ll pick you up from your apartment in about half an hour. There’s no point in us taking two cars. We can share the driving. We’ve both had a long week and could do with some rest. It only makes sense.” She nods in agreement as she heads towards her car. How can she speak to him without blurting out the truth; she really liked him. Maybe even more than she was letting herself believe. But it was complicated. She’d just had a messy break-up with Teddy and the last thing she knew he was living a young, wild and free life – one-night stands, dates with no strings attached. She couldn’t experience that with him. He was something special; she knew it. But where did he stand? Did he still like her? Was all of the history between them in the past? What’s going to happen when they aren’t surrounded by their jobs or the friends around them or can take away the awkwardness? This was going to be harder to navigate than she ever thought.  
\--------  
Back upstairs in the bullpen, Holt heads over to the break room, where Terry, Rosa, Charles and Gina were having a small break. Well, Terry and Rosa were trying to get some coffee, Charles was telling the story of his latest food review and Gina was on her phone, again, clearly uninterested in Boyle’s story.

“Sorry to interrupt detective Boyle; Gina, can you please find a hotel or something for Peralta and Santiago to stay at tonight. It needs to be in Neustadter. As close to their police precinct as possible,” Holt said hoping he wasn’t going to have to fight her on this one. “No, sorry. Don’t feel like it,” she replied without even looking up from her phone. All of those surrounded her wouldn’t be surprised if she even listened to what Holt had said. The captain looked a bit disgruntled and uttered in a low tone, “Gina,” before she admitted defeat with a groan and agreed to find somewhere for Jake and Amy to stay.

Holt leaves the room and heads back to his office. Suddenly, Rosa speaks up: “Hey, why don’t we make this interesting? We know those 2 have been dancing around each other for at least 12 months and it’s starting to gross me out. There’s obviously something there, and it makes things awkward. Why don’t we mess with their booking and make them share a room? They can work out if something is ever going to happen between them or not, or whether they just need to bone.”

Terry interjects, “Rosa, that’s ridiculous. We can’t do that to them. Terry loves love. But Terry also loves a professional working environment. What if something goes wrong and they can no longer work together. As much as I want to see the both of them happy, we also need them to be able to work together without trying to kill each other.”

Next it was Charles, “Sarge, Rosa’s got a point. I think they need this push. They would be America’s dream couple if they got together. The first time I saw them together I knew something was destined to happen. I know for a fact that Jake likes Amy and it’s pretty obvious she likes him too. They’re just too afraid to make the first move. This could be our chance to help them. They are perfect for each other. A one true pairing if you please.”

“Okay. Charles, I’m going to stop you right there. I agree with you, but never say those words again,” Gina chimes in. “I’ve known Jake since we were kids, and I’ve never seen him this hung up on a girl. He’s usually over them in a couple of weeks, but this has been going on forever, and I’m fed up of it. And you forget that I sit behind Amy. The way he looks at her when he thinks no one’s looking shows how much he likes her. It makes me want to barf. I don’t know why, though; those pant suits are a total drag.”

“Wait. Hold on. Isn’t Amy still with Teddy? We can’t go through with this if they are still together,” Terry asks. How could he not have thought of this before now?

“Terry, Terry, Terry. How did you ever make detective? You’re supposed to be able to pick up on certain behaviours and changes in someone’s routine,” Gina replies sarcastically. Terry looks kind of hurt and confused. She continues, “Amy and Teddy split up a few weeks ago. They used to always go for lunch on Tuesday, unless either of them had a big break in a case they were working on. If they did, they would call the other to cancel. For about 2 or 3 weeks now, Amy hasn’t left the precinct for lunch on a Tuesday and she hasn’t sent or received a phone call from Teddy, meaning that they had either broken up, or they were bored of the weekly lunch outing. When I noticed she wasn’t leaving, I quizzed her about it. I wasn’t really listening, but I think she said something about him being too boring. And that’s coming from her! There must have been something seriously wrong with that man.”

“Damn Gina. How’d you figure all that out?” Rosa asks.

“Because I’m psychic. It was pretty obvious to be honest.” Just then Hitchcock and Scully walked in to the break room and sat on the revolting couch on the back wall. She angled towards them. “I bet even those two idiots figured it out. Hey. Hitchcock, Scully. Did you know Amy had split up with Teddy?” They both look at each other, Scully with a rather confused look on his face, whereas Hitchcock seemed a bit annoyed and upset.

“Who’s Teddy?” Scully asks, while a moping Hitchcock says, “Wait, Amy has a boyfriend? I thought for sure she was going to sleep with me. We even had a bet on it.” He motions to Scully and all he can reply with is “We do?” before they start arguing about who gets to pick the first cookie in the box, they had just bought with them, ignoring the grossed out looks from the others.

“It’s settled then. Mission get Jake and Amy together is a go!” Terry says.

“No Ter-bear. It’s got to have a catchier name than that,” Gina intervenes. “Something less obvious.”

Before anyone else could respond, Boyle immediately started jumping up and down like a child on Christmas morning, waving one of his arms in the air like he was in a class waiting to answer a question. “Oo. Oo. Oo. I’ve got it: Mission: Peraltiago! You get it? Peralta and Santiago together… Peraltiago. Come on guys, that’s genius!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's in store for these pair when they get to the hotel? Is the squads' plan working?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's Chapter 2! It took me longer to post than I originally wanted it to because I couldn't decide where to end the chapter. But I think it's worked out eventually. Hope you enjoy!

About half an hour into their journey, Amy starts to feel a little uncomfortable in Jake’s company again. It’s not that she doesn’t want to talk to him; it’s just that she’s afraid that if she starts talking to him, she’ll say too much and admit her feelings towards him leaving her vulnerable and even more uncomfortable, and she doesn’t want to deal with that right now. So, for now she says nothing and hopes it will become something she can learn to deal with.

Jake yet again breaks the silence between them, “So, how are you doing? I heard you broke up with Teddy, and I wanted to see if everything was alright,” he asks trying to make any conversation he can at this point. There was a small silence. “Sorry I didn’t mean to pry or anything.” 

“Oh, err, no you didn’t. It’s fine. I would have been surprised if you hadn’t heard by now anyway. I think most people at both our precincts know. We broke up a few weeks ago, well, I broke up with him. It wasn’t really working out,” she slightly stutters while saying it. “He was just, boring, and I couldn’t see myself being with him for the rest of my life. Don’t get me wrong he has a heart of gold and I want him to be happy, but I knew I wouldn’t have been happy. He kept talking about stupid pilsners. He tried to brew me one once. It tasted like soap. It smelt amazing, though.” She looks over at Jake. “Sorry. I’m rambling.” Jake couldn’t help but smile at that. Before she can stop herself, she says, “I have got my eye on someone else, though.” She inwardly curses herself, hoping that she hasn’t given too much away. 

As soon as he heard her say that line, Jake sighed and couldn’t help the shade of disappointment that coated his face. Oh, how he wished he was the one she had her eye on. But he talked himself out of it. ‘It can’t be me,’ he thinks. ‘She’s turned me down once before. She’ll only do it again, and I can’t deal with that heartbreak right now. Not when I’m still trying to get over her.’

“I’m over it by now,” she says awkwardly. “How are you doing anyway? I feel as though I’ve only been talking about myself and my problems. It feels so long ago that we last had an actual conversation that wasn’t to do with work. How are things between you and that girl you were with? Sophie, was it?”

He looked away from the road for a few seconds to look at her. He cursed himself when he did. Even with casual clothes and her hair in a messy bun she was captivating. If he wasn’t driving, he wouldn’t be able to draw his eyes away from her. “Oh, um, Sophia? Well, I wouldn’t actually know. We only saw each other a couple of times. We didn’t really say much to each other, if you know what I mean!” He couldn’t help but wink and raise his hand to see if she’d high five him. Of course, she didn’t high five him. She wasn’t Boyle after all. Instead she just said “always classy Jake,” but couldn’t help but laugh along with him. 

A few more conversations and laughing fits later, they finally arrive at a small hotel on the outskirts of the town. Gina had text them the address not long after they started out. All they had to do was say their names when they got to the check-in desk. 

By now, the pair of detectives felt a lot more comfortable and things started to feel as though they were slotting back into place. They had not been this at ease with each other since before Jake went undercover. He’d tried to distance himself from her so he wouldn’t make a fool of himself in front of her. And he was also trying to respect her relationship with Teddy, but now that’s over, he can’t wait for the usual flirty teasing and friendly bets to be back on. 

They park up and grab their bags out of the trunk. The night was drawing in and the sun was slowly fading away and the chill was becoming more apparent. It was getting later in the year, so it was becoming quite cold in the evening, especially feeling it if your name is Amy Santiago. She visibly shivers as they make their way to the main entrance and into the reception area. Jake couldn’t help but smile at how cute Amy looked when she was trying to conceal the warmth of her coat by wrapping it tightly around her. They get to the check-in desk where they gave their names and asked for their respective keys. But neither of them could anticipate what would happen next. The receptionist, a woman in her mid-40’s with her long brown hair worn down covering most of her face asked, “One key or two.” Jake and Amy look at each other very confused and then proceeded to stare at the woman behind the desk. She looks at them waiting for their reply, clearly wishing that she wasn’t there to begin with. 

Amy speaks up, “Sorry. What do you mean one key or two? There should be one room under the name Amy Santiago and a second under Jake Peralta.”

The receptionist looked back at the computer and quickly checked through the booking system. “That’s not what it says here. There’s a Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago, but only one room was booked. Hang on let me check. Yes, it was booked about 3 hours ago by phone.”

Jake and Amy look back at each other and both mutter “Gina,” at the same time. Amy looks rather annoyed; how did this happen? How could someone not be specific enough to book two rooms? It’s pretty simple. Jake can see her frustration and says, “I’m sure it’s just a mistake.” He turns to the receptionist, “Is there any other room free for tonight. If we can book another one, problem solved!” sounding triumphant. 

The receptionist scoured through the computer system before saying, “I’m sorry, there are no more rooms available. I think you actually booked the last one. You did leave it quite late. If you knew you were coming, why wouldn’t you book earlier? Then this wouldn’t have happened.” She looked rather smug, someone who Jake nor Amy really couldn’t be bothered to deal with after the day they had had – working near enough a full shift then having to drive all this way, only to be awake super early in the morning to pick up a perp. 

Sounding defeated, Amy says through almost gritted teeth, “Just check us in. And one key should be plenty. We’re leaving early tomorrow anyway.” Jake puts a hand on her shoulder. He can’t justify why, but it just felt like the right thing to do. He can tell that she’s tired and really doesn’t want to be dealing with this right now. They may not have been totally in sync for a while but he always knows when she needs some kind of Peralta guarantee to cheer her up. 

“Okay then. You’re in room 209. We hope you enjoy your stay; breakfast is served from 6:30 till 9:30. Would you like a wake-up call?” the receptionist asks passing them a key, almost like a recorded message.

Jake answers, “We’ll be fine thanks. As she said we’re leaving super early in the morning. We won’t even have a chance to stay for breakfast,” with a slight chuckle. He turns towards the stairs and starts to head up to the room, a tired Amy in tow. 

Jake opens the door, and he’s genuinely impressed with how nice the room is. There’s a huge bed, a flat screen TV on the wall and a full en-suite off to the side. He’s stayed in many hotels while he’s been a cop, but never one as nice as this. Oh, and one added bonus, it’s all been paid for with it technically being a ‘work-related visit’. 

“Wait, hold on. There’s only one bed.” He turns around to see a mortified Amy. How did he not think of this before? They are going to have to share!

“Hey, you know what, if it makes you more comfortable, I’ll just sleep on the floor. I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Jake says turning to meet her eyes. He drops his bag on the floor. What he didn’t realise was that the carpet was extremely thin and the noise that followed was almost deafening. 

“Jake, you can’t sleep on the floor. We’ll just put a pillow divider in the middle of the bed. We’re professional colleagues after all,” she replied. 

And with that, Jake collapses on the bed, lying directly in the middle of the bed, star-fishing so that his feet touching both bottom corners of the bed. Meanwhile, Amy carefully places her bag onto a chair sitting in the corner of the room, and tucks her shoes underneath it, so she won’t trip over them. He roots through the night stand to find the TV remote. He soon finds it, switching the TV on and quickly looking through the channels, settling for re-runs of Law and Order. 

“Hey, I’m going to use the shower,” Amy says rummaging through her bag for some pyjamas and a towel. Jake looks over towards her. She hadn’t yet noticed his new position. Once she does, she can’t help but laugh. Same, old Jake. 

After she disappears into the bathroom, Jake grabs his bag and starts to unpack some things he’ll need for the night. He quickly changes then grabs his phone. He unlocks it and finds a message from Gina.   
Gina: How are the happy couple doing?   
Jake: What are you on about Gina? You know there’s nothing going on between us  
Jake: I’m guessing you booked the room. There were no more rooms left so now we have to share  
Gina: You can thank me later girl 😉

He can’t believe she set this up. On the one hand, he’s annoyed because Amy is kind of upset and he knows she’s tired. She’s just worked 7 days in a row and just to top it off, she now she has to spend the night in a hotel 4 hours away from home with no notice whatsoever, while sharing a bed with a guy who she knows used to like her ‘romantic stylez with a ‘z’’/still does like her but she doesn’t know that. But on the other hand, he’s kind of glad. Maybe they will have a good time. Who knows what’s going to happen?

What he doesn’t know is back home, Gina screenshots the chat and sends it on to the others with the caption: “Stage one complete.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's going to happen next for these two?  
> Hope you enjoyed that chapter. As always feedback is greatly appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time! The night Jake and Amy share a bed. Will something happen? Who knows?...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a small chapter, I'm hoping to get the next one up tomorrow. I just couldn't get the end of the chapter to fit elsewhere. Hope you enjoy!

When Amy walks back into the room after showering, she finds Jake lying on the bed, with a confused look on his face. Something had happened that he hadn’t anticipated. They may not have been in sync much but she could still read him pretty well. 

“What’s going on?” Amy asks as she wanders over to the closet to retrieve some extra pillows. 

“Oh, err. Nothing important,” he replies and puts his phone on the nightstand, without looking at her. He was only just wrapping his head around the fact that Gina knew about him liking Amy, which meant that there was a high chance that the whole of America knew, probably half of the world, as well. He turned towards Amy and frowned slightly. “Are you building a pillow fort or something? How many pillows does one woman need?” he asks as she pads over to the bed with an armful of pillows. He has to duck quickly as a pillow comes flying towards his face at a fair speed.

“For a pillow wall, dummy. Although if you annoy me, I may throw another one at you,” she laughs and he joins in too. Her laugh is so infectious. How has he only just realised that? 

“Ames, I’m not going to do anything. A pillow wall is taking it a bit far don’t you think?”

“Jake, we’re colleagues. This wall just means that we are keeping it as professional as we can in these circumstances.” He can’t argue with that logic. Although he still thinks its slightly unnecessary. Before he can argue another point, Amy starts placing the pillows, in what he presumes is strategic places in the middle of the bed. When finished, she lies on the vacant side of the bed, making sure to keep a good distance between her and Jake. She can feel her heart rate increasing and tries to calm it before it beats out of her chest, or worse, before Jake hears it. He can’t know that he is the one causing this change in rhythm. He’d hold it over her forever. 

They both stay awake for a while, discussing different cases and different TV shows and films. It isn’t until Amy begins to yawn that they check the time and realise they have to be awake in less than 6 hours to go and pick up their man. “I think it’s time we should be getting some sleep,” she says yawning again. 

“Oh, but Santiago, we haven’t even discussed any `Netflix show yet? We can’t just end the conversation there!” She rolls her eyes and smiles at him before rolling over so she’s facing the edge of the bed. But she can still tell that Jake is sitting up waiting for her answer. 

“We’ve got all of the journey back tomorrow to discuss any show you like, but I really need some sleep or else I’m not going to be able to concentrate driving back.” With that she feels the mattress dip as he lies back. It didn’t last long though. He suddenly sat bolt upright. 

“Ames, how have we not mentioned Die Hard for a whole conversation? I’m sure that’s against some kind of law. Is there a law about not mentioning Die Hard? Or doing an impression? You know loads of laws. Are you going to arrest me for not mentioning it? Or am I being ridiculous, because I feel like…” Amy rolls over to face him. “Please don’t hurt…” Amy punches him in the arm. 

“Good night, Peralta,” she faces away from him but she can’t help a small smile that invades her face. Just as her eyes begin to shut, she feels Jake move round and hears “Night, Ames,” whispered from the other side of the bed. She goes to sleep thinking about how she could get used to that nickname; especially coming from his lips. 

As they are both asleep, neither of them realises what their bodies are doing. One by one, the pillows begin to leave the middle of the bed, whether they fall to the floor, or, by Jake absentmindedly taking one and using it as an extra one under his head. As the pillow wall collapses, the two detectives start to shuffle closer to each other. Before long, Amy is curled into Jake’s side as one of his arms cradles her head and the other pulls her closer to him. Neither of them knew what they were doing, but from a distance, they looked extremely content.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this one. As I said, I'm hoping to get the next chapter up tomorrow.  
> As always, feedback is appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when Jake and Amy wake up in each others arms? Is everything going to change? Are they going to be together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, I just wanted to start off by saying thank you! Thank you to everyone who is enjoying this story. I'm so grateful to have all your support and I love reading all the lovely comments people are leaving. They are honestly making my day at the moment!
> 
> I hope you all continue to enjoy the next part and I should hopefully have the next, and probably final chapter up within the next few days!

Amy only begins to shift at 6 am, as her alarm sounds. She extends her arm to try and switch off that ungodly noise for this time in the morning. What she soon comes to realise, though, is there is a warmth coming from behind her and it wasn’t from the pillows. She shifts carefully and comes face to face with this so-called warmth. Spoiler alert… it’s Jake. She inwardly gasps trying not to disturb him, as he still seems to be dead to the world, despite the alarm blaring less than 60 seconds ago. They are so close; she can feel his breath on her neck. In the corner of her eye, she sees one of the pillows that were in the middle of the bed is now disregarded on the floor. ‘How did that happen?’ she wonders but before she could think about it further, an arm comes over and settles on her stomach, trapping her to the bed and him. A small moan escaped Jake’s lips. He still had no idea what he was doing or did he? Amy’s head was running circles, trying to come up with any explanation as to why this was happening. Was this normal for friends to do? But then there’s the issue of him liking her, and now she likes him.

Before she could completely spiral and not be able to function properly, Amy carefully peels Jake’s arm from around her and stands up trying her best not to disturb him. He must have noticed her absence because his arms began rummaging around the bed, trying to find something or someone. Without thinking, she grabbed one of the pillows off the floor and placed it carefully on the bed. He immediately grabbed it and cuddled it like a toddler holding their favourite toy. She takes one final look at him – well, he looks so young when he’s asleep and so cute with his ruffed-up hair - before heading to the bathroom to get ready for the day. 

By the time she re-enters the bedroom, Jake has woken up but is sort of lounging awkwardly with a confused look on his face. He looks in her direction, seeing her dressed and ready for the day. “What time is it?” he mumbles. He really isn’t good at mornings. “Just turned six,” she replies. “Come on. We need to get sorted if we are going to get there on time.” She goes back to re-organising her bag. 

Jake stretches and swings his legs off of the bed, ready to stand up. But before he does, he notices something. “Ummh, Amy? Why are the pillows on the floor?”

She freezes as he turns to look at her, as she mumbles something inaudible and closes her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she turned around to meet his eyes. “We were kind of… cuddling, when I woke up as my alarm started. I was trying to get up and you kind of put your arm around me.” His eyes widen as she keeps talking. Was he really cuddling with Amy Santiago? How did he not know about this? Amy sees Jake’s face change as he tried to comprehend what she’s just told him. “It doesn’t have to mean anything, though. We are work colleagues and friends. And that’s all it is.” She can’t help but look slightly disappointed as she said it. 

Jake stands up and starts walking towards her. She holds her breath and her mind starts racing again What is he doing? Is he going to…? No, surely, he isn’t? But is he? He instead walks past her, but she can’t help but notice that he brushes his arm against hers, sending a jolt of electricity through her body. Of course, he was going to his bag to get ready. Why is she having these thoughts all of a sudden? What’s going on inside her mind? And who’s to blame? Well, we all know who’s to blame really, but she doesn’t want to admit that quite yet. He quickly grabs some clothes from his bag and heads to the bathroom before they say anything else to each other. 

Amy kicks herself for telling him the truth. They were doing so well. They have come so far since the previous day. Are they going to get back to what it’s been like recently? Who’s to say?  
\-------   
The next time they speak to each other again they are almost half way home. Obviously, they’d spoken when they were in the presence of the other officers, but only about the transfer. Amy’s driving this time, while Jake sorts out music for the journey and making sure their ‘passenger’ is behaving himself. He turns round to check on said passenger and finds him asleep on the back seats. 

He decides now is a good time to discuss that morning’s antics. “Look, Amy. I’m sorry about this morning. You were right, we’re just colleagues and I’m sorry I’ve caused this awkwardness.” He sits there silently, waiting, begging, for Amy to answer. 

“Jake, it’s fine. It’s partly my fault as well. Can we please just get along again? Like we were last night. It doesn’t have to be awkward again. Let’s just forget it and move on,” she replies. Jake visibly relaxes when she says this. He can’t agree more. 

For a while, it goes back to predominantly comfortable silence, both of them occasionally singing together. That is until Jake’s phone buzzes to say he’s got a message. He quickly checks it and finds another text from Gina. 

Gina: How’s everything with the two lovers in snoozeville this morning? Any juicy gossip to spill?  
Jake: Gina, we’ve talked about this, there’s nothing going on between us!  
Gina: Ughh, this is boring? Did anything happen last night? I need to know how to tease you when you get back.  
Jake: All we did was talk about old cases and then go to sleep. NOTHING HAPPENED!  
Gina: Jake, I know you. You are texting all in capitals which means something happened! So, spill, girl!  
Jake: Fine… Amy woke up first and found out that we were… kind of…  
Gina: …… come on Jake, I can’t wait all day!  
Jake: Cuddling…  
Gina: Jake Peralta, you smooth dawg! My psychic told me something extraordinary was going to happen! Finally, I don’t have to deal with your heart eyes anymore! Oh wait, don’t say it will be worse now. It’s going to be worse, isn’t it?  
Jake: No, Gina. You don’t understand. She told me we were cuddling in our sleep, and now it’s kind of awkward. We’ve talked about it, but something is just off. I don’t know what it is, though.  
Gina: Ohh. I know what this is. Jake Peralta – self-proclaimed amazing detective/genius can’t figure this out.  
Jake: Gina, come on.  
Gina: What your experiencing, my friend is stage 2 of what we like to call ‘Mission: Peraltiago’. You two have the hots for each other, real bad! You both want to be with each other, but you don’t want to admit it. The sooner you admit it, the easier it will be to move past this stage.   
Jake: What do you mean by ‘we’?  
Jake: What’s ‘Mission: Peraltiago’? Why does that sound so familiar, but so weird at the same time?  
Jake: That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard  
Jake: On a completely different note, what’s stage 3?  
Gina: All in good time, my friend. All in good time 

He doesn’t know what to say. He’s so confused. Amy doesn’t like him, she’s said they’re just friends, nothing more. All these thoughts start racing through his head. A few minutes later, he’s pulled out of his reverie by Amy asking, “Is everything alright?” He just nods and smiles, unknowing of what to say. Should he tell her? Probably. But how will she react? No, he won’t tell her. It will only become awkward again. He really likes how they are right now. And he’ll have to get used to it if they aren’t going to be anything more. “Everything’s fine,” he finally answers. 

He thinks he’s pulled this off, Amy not noticing that he’s not fine. However, in Amy’s opinion, Jake is still acting a bit odd. As much as she wants to find out, she leaves it, not wanting to make it any more awkward than it already is. That is until Jake does something that she would never think of him doing; well, not doing really. As they are driving along, Taylor Swift starts playing but he doesn’t start singing. That’s the final straw, she thinks.

“Right that’s it. I can’t take it anymore,” Amy turns towards Jake for a few seconds, before putting her attention back on the road. Jake turns to her with a confused look on his face. She continues, “Ever since you checked your phone last night, you’ve acted strangely. I thought we were over this and then, bam, you get another message from whoever, and you’re back to acting strange again. And now, you’re not even singing along to Taylor Swift. What’s going on? You know you can speak to me.”

He tries to play it off as though everything is normal. “Amy, there’s nothing to worry about. I’m fine.” She looks unconvinced, raising one eyebrow waiting for him to tell the truth. He sighs; it’s time. “Fine,” he starts. “I wasn’t going to tell you this, but Gina texted me last night. She set up the whole, one room, one bed thing up because she knows I used to like you, as you already knew. I suppose she thinks she’s playing Cupid or something, trying to push us together. But like we’ve said, everything between us is in the past.” Amy goes silent. She doesn’t know what to say. As a result, she looks directly at Jake, nods and hums in acknowledgement, waiting for him to continue. “It seems like the rest of the squad are in on it too. She said something about a ‘Mission: Peraltiago’. I don’t know what that means but it sounds complicated, whatever it is. I just didn’t want to tell you, because I didn’t know how you would react. So, I’m sorry. Again. But this time it’s about something different, so you can’t moan at me for it.” She smiles at that, and he can’t help but smile too. 

“Wow.” It’s the only thing she can think of to say. “I mean, well, we know our situation. It’s a bit complicated but we’re still friends. And that’s how it’s got to be.” Jake’s frowns a little at her choice of words ‘got to be? Why has it got to be that way? What would it be if it wasn’t like this?’ He soon lets it go, though, on an account of her being overtired. They mutually agree, albeit silently, to leave it at that. They end up sitting in silence for a while, but after a few classic uplifting songs, they are back to talking again, primarily finishing the conversations from the previous night, and of course, Die Hard is mentioned this time around. Everything seems back to normal for a while. Well, as normal as these pair can be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me for not putting them together yet. I just didn't think it was the right time. There may be a little surprise in the next part though!  
> Hope you enjoyed it! Feedback as always is greatly appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake and Amy arrive back at the precinct. What's going to come next for these two? Are they going to get there act together? Or is it going to be just as awkward as before?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post this last night, but I couldn't find it anywhere on my laptop! So, after a mini heart-attack and breakdown, I found it this morning and everything was good again!  
> So, this was going to be the last chapter but I've got a surprise in store! I'll post that in a few hours time. I hope you all enjoy this chapter

It wasn’t too long before Jake and Amy made it back to their own precinct. It was quite late in the afternoon by now, meaning that most of the squad had finished for the day. They’d escorted their perp into holding and headed to the Captain’s office to check in and hopefully clock off for the day. If only they were so lucky. 

With a transfer, came a lot of paperwork. Paperwork that Captain Holt wanted filling in as soon as possible. He’d asked them to stay and complete it, so he could sign and file it the following morning. Amy being Amy, couldn’t say no to Holt and agreed within seconds. Jake paused for a second, weighing up the pros and cons. He wanted to go home, but if he did, he’d have to be at work early the next morning to complete it, and he’d miss out on spending some more time with Amy. So, with that, Jake decided to stay as well. 

They both got to work, filling in different reports, hoping to get through it quickly. Not long after, Holt left for the day, leaving the two detectives to complete the paperwork alone, with the odd cleaner coming up to join them on the fourth floor. 

After about an hour of doing paperwork, Jake heads out onto the rooftop claiming he needed some fresh air. Who could blame him? More than 4 hours in a car and then stuck in the precinct completing transfer files and arrest reports. Amy decides that it’s now or never. She follows Jake onto the rooftop just moments after he had made his exit. 

Here she goes; “Jake?” He jumps, not expecting for Amy to have followed him. She continues, “I think we should talk.” He nods, knowing it’s the right thing to do but deep down, he couldn’t help but feel extremely uncomfortable. ‘What is she going to say? Is there ever going to be a chance for them to be together?’

“Amy, I…” he starts but before he can even finish his sentence Amy interrupts him. 

“Jake, I really like you. I have for a while.” His face softens and a small smile escapes his lips. Finally, he thinks. Amy continues, “I always wondered what would have happened if I had split up with Teddy while you were undercover. I played a thousand situations over in my head but I always came to the same 2 conclusions: what if he was done with me because I didn’t choose him originally? Or what would happen if something went wrong between us?” By now she’s pacing round the rooftop, trying not to look Jake in the eye. “I always try to do everything as well as I can, but I don’t exactly have a good track record when it comes to dating. But I don’t care anymore. I just need you to know how I feel because I will really regret it if I don’t. If you don’t want anything to change, I completely understand. We can forget this ever happened and can go back to professional colleagues.” What she doesn’t realise is that while she was rambling on, Jake had stepped a lot closer, their noses were almost touching, and he had a wide grin plastered on his face from ear to ear.

“Amy,” he starts, taking one of his hands in his, she looks down at their joined hands and then back up to meet his eyes, “you have no idea how long I have wanted to hear that.” He lets out a small chuckle. “All of those dates I went on, all the one-night stands, it didn’t make me feel any different. I’d tried so many things to get over you because I thought you’d never want this. You deserve so much better than a man-child with dad issues.” She shakes her head laughing lightly. He moves his other hand to her cheek and begins to lean down slightly. He doesn’t know what happens next, all he knows is that Amy’s lips are on his and it’s the best he has ever felt in his life.   
Everything that had happened over the past couple of months was worth it. He was finally getting to kiss Amy Santiago on the 99th precincts’ rooftop. 

As they pull away breathlessly, they both utter the word “wow”, and they can’t help but laugh together, his arms wrapping around her and resting his cheek on her head, as she presses her face into his chest. “You know, if one of us is going to screw this up, it’s going to be me,” Jake said as he started to release Amy from his embrace. “I can’t even remember when I last had an actual relationship. But I will do whatever I can to make you happy, because I am always at my happiest when I’m with you.” He says it without realising and clamps a hand over his mouth before he can say something else. 

“Wow, Jake. I never knew you could be so romantic,” she says, giggling.

“I suppose it’s all those Disney films I’ve seen,” he jokes, but she still finds it endearing. Of course, she had to fall for a goofball who is obsessed with Disney films. 

“Come on,” he says, taking her hand and guiding her to the door leading back inside. “We are finishing this paperwork as quickly as possible because I really want to kiss you again.” As they reached the door, Amy did something neither of them expected her to do, she pulled Jake back by their joined hands, placed a hand on his cheek and kissed him again. It didn’t last long, though; they were both smiling so hard, and they were on the verge of laughing.

\----------

Half an hour later, they both signed the last paper. Jake got his things together as Amy organised the paperwork and dropped it onto the captain’s desk for him to sign in the morning. 

“Mi’lady,” Jake offers his arm for Amy to take as they head towards the elevator together. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I kind of want to spend some more time together. Movie and take out at yours? The reason I say yours is because I need to drop you off anyway, and my apartment definitely isn’t clean.” They both laugh together. They do it a lot, but who can blame them? 

“Sounds perfect,” she answers and leans her head on his shoulder. He can’t help but turn his head and lay a soft kiss on her forehead. “What take-out are we getting?”

“Well, I was thinking pierogis, potato pancakes and hot chocolate from that Polish place you like,” Jake answered a smile on his lips. He didn’t know how long it was going to last, but he was definitely on a roll for impressing his new girlfr… wait was she his girlfriend now? He could definitely get used to that!

“How did you know?” Amy asks, dumbfoundedly. 

“What? I can’t know what my partner in crime likes to eat.” He pauses. “Wait, no, that’s not right. Partner, solving crime, likes to eat.” She’s not too convinced. “Fine, okay, I heard you talking to Rosa about it once.”

“Ahh, that’s sweet… but also kind of creepy,” she says. He just smiles and nods.

\----

Back at her apartment, they work in sync with each other without realising. She grabs some plates and starts sharing out the food, while he grabs the blanket that’s always kept on the back of her couch and switches the TV on. It’s so domestic. She walks over to the couch, handing him a plate, and they mutually decide to watch the new SVU episode rather than a movie. Within minutes, they are placing bets on who did it. Some things never change.

Finishing their food, they put their plates down onto the small coffee table in front of them and Jake extends his arm, allowing Amy to lean on him if she wishes. She does so, and he pulls the blanket around them, making sure that Amy was warm enough. She just gets cold easily, that’s all. He also can’t deny that he’s imagined this so many times and he can’t comprehend how good it feels for it to be true. He thinks about pinching himself just to check he’s not dreaming, but decides against, instead choosing to wrap his arm around Amy, pulling her impossibly closer to him. 

It’s not long before they both feel tired and they almost have to hold their eye lids open to stay awake long enough to see who wins the bet. Jake wins, and declares himself as the ultimate detective/genius as he always does. 

“So, I guess I should get going. You know, with work in the morning,” Jake says sounding disappointed. He just wants to stay in this moment forever. A sleepy Amy replies “Stay,” and how could he deny her what she wanted. 

“Okay, then. You go and get changed. I’ll go and grab my bag from the car and come straight back up.” Never has he felt prouder of himself for packing some extra clothes in case he dropped food down his shirt.

They moved quickly and were soon tucked up in Amy’s bed, both hoping they could stay in this moment forever. Needless to say, that that was the best night sleep both of them had ever had. They fell asleep and woke up in each other’s arms, and there was not an ounce of awkwardness in the atmosphere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, they finally did it! They finally got their act together.   
> As always feedback is greatly appreciated!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What comes next for Jake and Amy? How do the squad find out? How do they react?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I posted Chapter 5 a few hours ago, so if you haven't done so already, go and read that!  
> This is just like a small, bonus chapter just to finish the story, so I hope you all enjoy!

As the sun awakes Amy from her slumber the following morning, she can’t help the smile that emerges when she finds Jake sleeping next to her, holding her and running his hand up and down her side. He looks so young and vulnerable as he lies there. She reaches up to tangle her fingers in his curls but is stopped when his hand meets hers and he brings her hand to his lips and kisses it softly. “Morning,” he grumbles as he pulls Amy closer towards him with his other arm. She can’t help but giggle as he peppers kisses all over her face and neck, feeling like a teenager again. With one smooth move, he takes her lips in his and lingers for what seems like forever.

When air becomes necessary, they separate and stare into each other’s eyes for a few seconds. Amy disturbs the silence by saying, “Mmmh, someone’s in a good mood this morning.”

“How can I not be, when I’ve woken up with the most beautiful woman in the world? God, I have wanted to say that for so long… didn’t think it was appropriate given our past,” Jake replies with a smirk on his face. Amy can’t help but blush and drops her head to his chest in embarrassment. He drops a kiss to her hair and continues, “I can’t wait to spend the day sat across from my girlfriend.” He freezes, and she looks up at him, a smile from ear to ear. “I mean…” he stutters. Before he can continue, it’s Amy’s turn to initiate the kiss. She puts a hand on his cheek and kisses him deeply before saying, “It’s fine, Jake. Well, only if I can call you my boyfriend?” Both of them burst out laughing. It’s so cheesy and embarrassing but neither of them cares – they are in a total state of euphoria. They couldn’t be happier. They spend a few more minutes lying there in each other’s arms before deciding they actually need to get up if they were going to get to work on time, and discuss how they are going to play this. 

They arrive at work separately. They both feel they need some time before they tell the squad their big news. So, as per the plan, Amy arrives 15 minutes early, like she always does, in her own car and Jake would arrive on time in his car. The plan was fool proof; or so they thought. 

Everything was going perfectly until Gina once again got involved. She’d been studying Jake and Amy’s behaviour all morning. Something had changed, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. If either Jake or Amy paid any attention to their surroundings, they would have noticed that Gina had not touched her phone for over 5 minutes, something extremely out of character. But instead, they were too caught up staring at each other and offering each other small smiles. You could tell they were trying to be discreet, but it wasn’t working well, especially when there are people watching your every move. 

Gina went back to looking at her phone, trying not to arouse suspicion herself, when she hears Amy get up from her chair and start heading to the evidence lock-up. She watches Jake closely. As she suspected, he can’t take his eyes off of Amy until she out of sight, which is when he turns back to his computer and pretends to look interested in whatever is on the screen. That’s when Gina can’t help but step in. She quickly fires off a text to Jake:

Gina: Somethings happened hasn’t it  
Jake: I don’t know what you’re talking about   
Gina: Don’t play stupid with me lover boy. You forget I’ve known you practically all your life. I can read you like an open book. Now spill…  
Jake: Okay, fine. Me and Amy are… kind of… sort off… together   
Gina: And Gina strikes again

She quickly screenshots it and sends it to the others with the caption: “Stage three complete.” It just so happens that Amy is walking back into the bullpen as the others receive the news from Gina. Charles lets out a scream which confuses Jake and Amy but receives laughs from the others.

Rosa looks back and forth between the two detectives and says, “You two finally boned then. Congrats,” with that signature smirk on her face. Amy immediately looks horrified and her eyes widen as she turns to look at Jake.   
“Jake… what’s going on?” Amy’s confused as Jake pieces together what must have happened. He turns towards Gina. Gina tilts her head to the side and smiles. “Sorry, not sorry,” she says as she tries to contain her laughter. 

Charles, meanwhile, is still trying to come to terms with what’s going on. It looks like he’s hyperventilating – nobody’s too worried, though. Classic Charles! 

Without another thought, Jake looks towards Amy, her confusion only growing when he mouths “Forgive me.” He stands up, and within seconds, he’s placing one hand on her waist and the other comes up to rest on her cheek. Before she even has time to comprehend what he’s doing, Jake leans down and takes her lips in his. An applause - and a further scream from Charles’ direction, followed by a bang as he hits the floor from fainting - rings round the bullpen as Amy brings her hands up to Jake’s shoulders and returns the kiss. 

What nobody realises is that Captain Holt is now standing by his door, coming out to see what all the commotion was about. The corner of his mouth curls slightly upwards when he finds the answer. It was one of those smiles that if you blink, you’d miss it. But it was definitely there. Holt clears his throat, just loud enough for people to hear it. Jake and Amy part, ducking their heads in embarrassment, but staying in each other’s arms. Before anybody could explain, Holt says, “I expect the paperwork on my desk by the end of the day,” and with that, he turns and walks back into his office. Jake and Amy turn to each other, blinding smiles plastered on both of their faces while the others head towards them to congratulate them individually. 

Gina can’t help but say to Jake: “And that my friend, is stage 3 of Mission: Peraltiago! You did it! I won’t go as far as proud, but I am genuinely impressed.” He smiles at her. He can’t help but wonder if they ever would have got to this point on their own. Either way, they are both incredibly happy.

Mission: Peraltiago – Complete!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! Mission Complete! Finally! I can't believe it's over.  
> I hope you all enjoyed this story, it's been a really nice one to write. And I hope I've done it justice! I want to thank everybody again for your continued support and feedback throughout it. It's been really nice and rewarding to read all the comments and a lot of them have made my day! I also hope everybody is doing well during this pandemic and I hope you all stay safe!


End file.
